Social Issues

After 26 weeks employment, all employees now statutorily have the right to request flexible working and as an Employer you are legally obliged to consider this and go through a consideration and handling process.

As an employer you may groan about the extra bureaucracy and administration costs, however you should now be putting a flexible working policy in place whether you like it or not.
Government statistics show (“lies, damned lies and statistics” I hear you shouting!) that offering flexible working practices will lead to economic benefits through improved efficiency and employee satisfaction. There are also many business advocates who say that allowing greater flexibility will help motivate staff , increase productivity and reduce the hassle of staff turnover which may actually reduce costs.

It is also not a fait accompli. Although your employees have the right to request flexible working practices as an employer you still has the right to refuse if you have a valid business reason. It is a right to ask and not a right to have.

If you do reject the request it must be for one of the following business reasons as set out in the legislation:

the burden of additional costs,

an inability to reorganise work amongst existing staff

an inability to recruit additional staff

a detrimental impact on quality

a detrimental impact on performance

detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand

insufficient work for the periods the employee proposes to work

planned structural change to your business

More details of the full request ,consideration and handling process can be found here.

Recent survey results by Citrix have shown that only 43% of SMB’s support the decision and 21% believe this will have a negative impact time. A survey by Fraser Young employment law specialists found 84pc of employers expect the new right to cause resentment among staff. More than half predict the change will adversely affect the day-to-day running of businesses.

My opinion for what it’s worth is rather than focusing on how many hours an employee has worked , put systems in place to ensure that their objectives are met ,focus on the quality of work and that your employees are actually enhancing your business. You may be surprised.

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It seems that the government are finally starting to react to the public outcry over tax avoidance and evasion. In the past, the government have been wary of upsetting the rich in the UK over fears that they would take their business overseas. Continue reading “A Clampdown on Tax Avoidance in 2013” »

Many households are now realising the importance of improving the security of their home, more so than say 10 years ago. However many people automatically think there will be a huge cost in implementing an effective security system. But, it turns out the cost of hi-tech home security components has come down in recent years. Continue reading “Tips to Improve Home Security on a Budget” »

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It seems “of the moment” to speak of one’s parents working class background and how hard they worked, but my Mom had three jobs (factory worker, waitress and cleaner) and needed them to earn enough money to feed us and keep us clothed after my Dad left. Continue reading “A political hot potato…” »

Like most all of the UK, I’m almost lost for words to describe the wonderful results and atmosphere of the London Olympics, but as an accountant and FD, I have to ask if we can translate the British athlete’s success into an economic boost for the UK. That for me now is the big question? Continue reading “Economic Success of the London 2012 Olympics” »

DoLS or Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, in Health and Social Care settings means a whole raft of rules and regulations, tied up with Health and Safety surrounding how vulnerable people are kept safe without unwarranted restrictions. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) – Alzheimer’s Society Continue reading “Deprivation of Liberty Standards” »

Independence is precious. Staying in the home which has been the centre of family life and holds so many memories is vital to emotional well-being. People hang on to their independence often long after they actually lost it in every true sense of the word. It can come as a shock to families to discover that their elderly person has not been coping Continue reading “Care Home or Home Care?” »